On Arrival

* A note - this one is backdated. We've been here for quite a bit now, and this is really the first opportunity to sit down at MY computer. Lauren's been hogging the little internet that we actually have. She's an internets thief. Anyway, this was written a few days after we'd been here.

We landed in Tegucigalpa on Thursday. The day started around 5AM in Atlanta, and we touched down a little after noon. The flight's around 3 and half hours. Not too long. And it's primary over the Gulf & Carribean, so there's some amazing views of white fluffy clouds and the sea. Lots and lots of clouds and sea.

We also flew over Cuba. I waved at Raul.

However, the kicker of the flight is the landing in Tegucigalpa - one of the more dangerous airports in the world, primarily due to its short runway. The plane comes in fairly low and you think, "Ok. We're about to land." Then - boom. It's a sharp 90% left turn, which I can only imagine is at about 45%. It's ridiculous. I had a window exit-seat over the left wing, and probably could have easily touched the telephone poles from the wingtip.

It's a frightening experience, and it jolts home why pilots are paid so much. At least the non-puddle-jumpers.

Earlier on approach, the flight attendant had passed by and asked my seatmate if he needed anything. He jokingly mentioned that - no he was okay, and that we were ready to open the door should something happen. The reality of the situation sunk in when she looked at him and in a non-joking manner said, "Good. Because when I fly into Teguz, I'm always ready."

Dios mio.

Anywho - it's an interesting ride, and on my next trip in, I'm going to film it. Or maybe somebody can find it on YouTube. My paltry words are really not doing it justice.

*I found a fairly good one on YouTube.  Here it is:

But, then we were in Honduras. And it's not really different than I had expected.

Hot. Spanish. People. (These words are not necessarily in order.)

Also it is hot. Caliente. Fuerte. Hot. Fuerte doesn't mean hot, but if I were designing the language I would make it mean hot. It sounds like it should be hot.

Honduras is hot. There. No mas.

It's overwhelming of course (e.g. the landing, customs, the fact that you're in Honduras, the heat) but there was a significant moment of United Statesianism (I'm coining new words as we're trying not to use American. It's offensive down here, as everyone in Latin, Central and South America considers themselves Americans - which does make sense. More on this, and other non-transferable words, later I'm sure.) when we were met by the Peace Corps Country Director at baggage.

So as you leave customs, completely bewildered and exhausted, there's your future boss waiting to introduce herself and shake your hand. In English. And on reflection with Lauren, I'm pretty sure there were United States flags waving. (More difficult than I thought - not using American.)

I liked the setup. It was a nice touch.

Then we were shuttled out of the airport, fed some Pizza Hut (another glimpse of home,) and ferried into the mountains. All within about 45 minutes. An impressive feat, considering there were 53 of us, each lugging around 80lbs of baggage.

Who says goverment efficancy doesn't exist.

-Jacob

Training and Pics!

So, I've decided that public transportation in Honduras is much like New York... hardly anyone speaks English, it's incredibly overcrowded, the transport is old, and someone is always blaring Mariachi or the 80's. It's kind of nice :) We had a training session today entitled, "How not to get lost in Teguz" (basically) and had to take various forms of transport into and throughout the capitol.... mission accomplished.

Also, I now know where all of the school buses from the States go when they are sent out to pasture, and I'm just waiting to see one that says Tyler ISD on the side.

Training is going pretty well, but will really kick into full gear when we leave for Field Based Training next week. I used a machete to help clear a small field for a family garden last week... hopefully the first of many :)

Anyway, Jacob and I both have come to love a few Honduran foods: Baleadas, are amazing! Deceivingly simple, they're basically refried beans, mantequilla (which translates as butter, but it's nothing like the butter in the States... will do some research on its makeup; although I might be less inclined to eat so much of it if I know exactly what it is), and the best flour/wheat tortillas ever. A result of this long endeavor is that I will never be able to eat grocery store bought tortillas again.

Also, tiny green mangos... nom, nom, nom!

Oh, and I've never eaten scrambled eggs laden with flowers, but our host family loves Flor de Izote (national flower of El Salvador) boiled and prepared with eggs, cheese, chillies, etc... Pretty tasty.

Can't seem to get into quesadillas with Ketchup though, but to each her own, eh?

In other news, we made a trip to another small town close by last weekend and saw this on the way in, which made me smile:

Also, a few pics of the spot where we had some after lunch coffee... It isn't exactly what I pictured when I imagined sacrificing 27 months in Peace Corps, but I'm definitely not complaining :)

I think that's about it, I'll leave you with some photos of our ride into town everyday for training. Miss you guys!

Pre-Service Training

Hey guys and gals,
So, obviously we made it to Honduras :)
We're doing well, settling in, and already have sunburns. We started our daily 4 hour sessions of Spanish language training and hope to have actual conversations with our host family (who are awesome by the way) soon... well, sooner rather than later :) And, we've already had technical sessions with various Honduran and US agencies, awesome! Every day we are happier with our decision.
We miss all of you!

Here are a few initial pics of our home for the next 2 years...

-Larena y Jacobo